NFL Draft Order 2012: 10 Possible Trades That Could Shake Up Draft

The 2012 NFL Draft is almost upon us. The hype, the sensationalism and the expectancy is almost here.

All our mock drafts and thoughts about who should draft who are finally about to get an answer.

Yet draft day is never without its controversy, especially with on-the-day trades.

They are tough to predict and even tougher to get right, but on-the-day trades can not only shake up the draft, but they can also turn out to define an entire season.

So here's the 10 teams most likely to trade come draft day—10 teams that by trading up or down could not only shake the draft but impact the entire season.

And whilst they may not all end up doing so, they're the 10 teams that we need to watch come draft day.

1. Cincinnati Bengals

After the Carson Palmer trade last year, the Cincinnati Bengals find themselves with two first-round picks and could well find themselves in a draft-day trade as a result.

Teams itching to get their hands on players like Kendall Wright, Dre Kirkpatrick or Stephon Gilmore could well go to the Bengals as a team to help them make that play.

Possible trade: Cincinnati trades with the Denver Broncos or Houston Texans

2. Denver Broncos

The Denver Broncos did the hard work, and as a result, they got their man—Peyton Manning.

But Manning isn't going to go all year throwing to the current receiving core of the Broncos; they need a legitimate No. 1 wide receiver.

Hence the trade with the Cincinnati Bengals or someone even higher than that, so that they get the next best receiver available at the time—depending on how high they go.

Possible trade: Denver trades with Cincinnati Bengals or Buffalo Bills

3. New England Patriots

The New England Patriots sit in the fortunate position of having two picks in the opening round of the draft, as well as another two in the second round.

Some team, somewhere, is going to want a piece of that—maybe in particular No. 31, the second pick that the Patriots have in the opening round.

Belichick is no doubt going to sure up the defense throughout this year's draft—especially given how injury-riddled they were at times last year—but that's not to say that someone else won't want to do exactly the same.

Given the right amount of picks in return, and their incredible ability to find gems late in the draft, the New England Patriots could be a great team to look to for an extra first-round pick.

Possible trade: New England trades with Philadelphia Eagles

4. St. Louis Rams

After already trading away their No. 2 pick for the plethora of picks they received from the Washington Redskins, expect the Rams to perhaps do the same again on draft day.

They hold the No. 6 pick now, as well as picks one and seven in the second round, and could use those to gain great leverage to fill their depleted roster.

Maybe a side looking to jump up and nab a player like Stephon Gilmore—or even Morris Claiborne should he still be on offer—will look to the Rams as a great trade option.

Yes, St. Louis will want a No. 1 wide receiver to turn Sam Bradford in to a weapon. But they'll want to fill their roster more, and if that means sacrificing Blackmon, they may well do it.

Possible trade: St. Louis trades with the Chicago Bears, Carolina Panthers or Cincinnati Bengals

5. Cleveland Browns

The Browns won't be giving away their fourth pick in the draft, but the 22nd pick could really be helpful for the Browns, who desperately need some more help on defense.

As the Bengals continue to get better and Baltimore continues to have Ray Rice, the linebackers of Cleveland must improve. That could well happen in the form of Courtney Upshaw, who definitely won't be slipping down to No. 22.

I can't see their divisional rivals in the Bengals letting him go to the Browns, so heading higher to the Tennessee Titans or San Diego Chargers may well be necessary to get their man.

Possible trade: Cleveland trades with Tennessee Titans or San Diego Chargers

6. Minnesota Vikings

With the No. 3 pick, Minnesota are in the difficult position of deciding whether to take Matt Kalil or take Morris Claiborne or do something different all together.

On one hand, the Vikings know that Christian Ponder will benefit from having a stronger offensive line, and it should help their offense as a result.

On the other hand, the Vikings will look around and see a division that features Aaron Rodgers, Matthew Stafford and Jay Cutler, as well as Greg Jennings, Calvin Johnson and Brandon Marshall. Having some help in the secondary may well also be needed.

However, they could very well trade back one or two spots if they know that the man they want is still going to be on the boards. Tampa Bay may want to take Trent Richardson ahead of the Browns, and if Kalil will still be there come No. 5, then it's definitely an option to consider.

The NFC North looks set to be dominant for many years to come; Minnesota knows that, and they know the need to have a young and strong roster as a result. Additional picks in this year and next year's draft, whilst still getting the man they want, would definitely help that.

Possible trade: Minnesota trades with Tampa Bay Buccaneers

7. New York Jets

Just like the Denver Broncos with Peyton Manning, the New York Jets won't want to have done all the hard work in the offseason, just to watch Tim Tebow or Mark Sanchez have no strong receiver to throw it to.

After all, they do have 10 picks in the draft this year—six of which they can trade.

Their first pick is at No. 16, and if they wanted to trade up, players like Blackmon or Floyd are there for the taking. If they wanted to trade down, they could bolster their roster with strong pass-rushers and quality wide receivers.

It's just the 10 picks; something's got to give there.

I think they go after Melvin Ingram—just to give Tom Brady something extra to think about. He may well fall to them anyway at No. 16, but they might want to make sure of it.

Possible trade: New York trades with Arizona Cardinals or Seattle Seahawks

8. Buffalo Bills

The Bills' No. 10 pick in the NFL draft could very well be hot property—especially for sides looking to nab either Justin Blackmon or Michael Floyd, depending on which one is left around.

And as mentioned before, teams like the Denver Broncos could very well see Buffalo as the perfect side to trade up to, given the lack of depth in the Bills' roster.

They could very well be getting a second and a third from the Broncos, and possibly a third or fourth next year also, which would help significantly towards creating the depth required to compete in a division with Tom Brady and two other teams of musical quarterbacks.

Possible trade: Buffalo trades with Denver Broncos

9. Philadelphia Eagles

According to Draft Insider, the Eagles moving into the top 10 isn't at all a crazy thought—particularly considering just how valuable they see Fletcher Cox to be.

Trading up to teams like the Carolina Panthers or Seattle Seahawks could well help the Eagles to get Cox, especially considering the recent decline of Dontari Poe, who could still be on the boards come the 16th pick.

Possible trade: Philadelphia trades with Carolina Panthers or Seattle Seahawks

10. Jacksonville Jaguars

With the No. 7 pick in the draft, the Jaguars could well find themselves in the middle of a brilliant situation with themselves, the Philadelphia Eagles and Miami Dolphins.

As it stands, they select before both the Eagles and the Dolphins. Miami wants Ryan Tannehill but know that the Jaguars may want to nab the Texas A&M quarterback before them. Thus they could find themselves in a trade swap with Miami, leaving the Jaguars to draft Blackmon or Floyd—whichever is left available.

However, as mentioned before, Philly has its eyes set on Fletcher Cox, and they could find the Eagles trading up to them to make sure that they get him. This is fine, but with the speculation surrounding Philly and Tannehill, Miami may well see this as the Eagles attempting to steal their quarterback before them.

All this means then is that the No. 7 pick is in high demand, and the Jaguars can just sit and sell it off to whoever the highest bidder is. Philly probably don't want Tannehill, but Miami can't be sure of that considering the talk that's already happened around it.

I think one way or another, the Jags end up trading their No. 7 pick purely because of the amount of picks they get offered in return for it. If they go with Miami, they'll be able to draft whoever they wanted to anyway. If they go with Philly, they either head for Kendall Wright—which is still a great pick—or look towards adding some more strength to their already tough pass rush.

Either way, it's a win-win for the Jaguars, who will know the significance of having a young and strong roster, considering the dynasty that's looking to be built under Andrew Luck in their division.

Possible trade: Jacksonville trades with Miami Dolphins or Philadelphia Eagles

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